After receiving thousands of angry emails and phone calls, the district has relented. In a statement, a spokesman for the district wrote:

Grand Island Public Schools is not requiring any current student with a hearing impairment to change his or her sign language name. Our mission remains: Every Student, Every Day, a Success!

Brian Spanjer, Hunter’s father, told station 1011, which broke the story, “The encouragement and support is amazing. It’s been more than I could have asked for and it’s been extremely helpful.”

But the celebration over this seeming victory may be premature. The statement from the district also notes:

The school district teaches American Sign Language (‘ASL’) for students with hearing impairments. ASL is recommended by the Nebraska Department of Education and is widely used in the United States. The sign language techniques taught in the school district are consistent with the standards of the Nebraska Department of Education and ASL.

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It should have never been an issue to begin with. I don’t know the drawbacks of teaching two different sign languages, but I believe SEE is better. It seems that the complaints about it are part of that “deaf culture” b.s. Seriously, I’d like to punch those people out.

It should have never been an issue to begin with. I don’t know the drawbacks of teaching two different sign languages, but I believe SEE is better. It seems that the complaints about it are part of that “deaf culture” b.s. Seriously, I’d like to punch those people out.

I used to live in Grand Island. My daughters, however, were in the G.I. Northwest district (thank God). I love Nebraska and I bleed red for the Huskers. Unfortunately, the poor state only seems to make the news because of the actions of idiots like the GIPS superintendent and school board; or Senator Ben Nelson or former Senator Bob Kerrey.

Amazing what the threat of legal challenges will do for policy. I have a deaf son. I know the high-handedness of some special educators and administrators. This statement from the first local article says volumes:

“We are working with the parents to come to the best solution we can for the child,” said Jack Sheard, Grand Island Public Schools spokesperson.

“We (the school district) are working (establishing policy unwelcome by the parents and superseding parental authority) with the parents (who we don’t want to really hear from) to come (to force to accept) to the best solution we can (what “we” the school district decides on) for the child (for political correctness).”

That statement from the school district says volumes. It makes the assumption that the parents don’t know best…the school district does. This is how education operates today.

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Howard, I appreciate your information on the district wanting to switch from SEE to ASL for this child. That IS a big deal.

ASL is for the Deaf identifying themselves as Deaf first…it’s the language for the Deaf, not hearing folks. A problem with ASL is it uses grammatical structure based on French grammar. If ASL is a deaf child’s first language, it has been shown that reading/writing English is more difficult for that child to master the English language. That is one reason most public school systems adopted SEE or Signed English. It follows English grammatical structures making it easier to acquire reading skills. Most residential state programs use ASL. It’s a huge fight in education.

But just like his name sign, the school system will tell the parents what type of communication is good for their child as indicated in the district’s statement noted above.